As can be seen by reference to the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,274,788; 4,212,580; 3,357,581; and 3,826,391; the prior art is replete with myriad and diverse boat launching apparatus associated with the bed of a pick-up truck.
While all of the aforementioned prior art constructions are more than adequate for the basic purpose and function for which they have been specifically designed, these patented arrangements are uniformly deficient both with regard to the complexity of the structures that are employed as well as the difficulty encountered by the operators of the apparatus in the launching and retrieval of the boat.
In addition none of the prior art solutions have realized the benefit of locating the primary pivot support point of the apparatus over the bumper of the pick-up; and, in fact the cited patents teach away from that deployment in that they leave the rear gate of the truck in place and design the systems around that obstacle.
As a consequence of the foregoing situation, there has existed a longstanding need among boat owners having pick-up trucks used to transport their boats to and from a launching site, for a new and improved apparatus that is extremely stable and which will quickly and efficiently effect the launching and retrieval of their boat; and, the provision of such a construction is a stated objective of the present invention.